Plympton is a historic market town east of Plymouth with a Norman castle ruin, the River Plym valley cycling trail and the Newnham Park estate on the southern edge of Dartmoor. Hawthorn is dense on the Dartmoor-fringe field hedges above Plympton Hill; the Plym valley woodland carries ash, sycamore and cherry along the riverside. Bramble and gorse thicken on the moorland edge above Saltram, extending the season into late summer.
Plym Valley riverside hawthorn and sycamore on the cycling trail below Plympton St Maurice is a regular spring swarm location. Newnham Park estate lime and woodland-fringe hedge trees produce swarms in June. Dartmoor-edge gorse and bramble above Plympton Hill and Saltram attract clusters in late May. Older stone chimney stacks and farm outbuildings in the Plympton St Maurice conservation area are common cavity swarm sites.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
PL1 2AA· approx. 7 km
Visit websitePL21 0HP· approx. 17 km
Visit websitePL19 9DA· approx. 18 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Gorse on the Dartmoor edge at Roborough Down and the Plympton Hill fringe opens the season in February and March. Blackthorn and hawthorn on the Plym and Tamar valley hedgerows follow; apple blossom in the Plympton and Tamerton Foliot orchard remnants adds to the May flow. Sycamore and lime in Central Park, the Hoe gardens and Devonport Park give a reliable June city flow. Bramble is dense on the old military estate scrub at the Efford and Plymstock fringes; willowherb on the estuary embankments carries through August. The Tamar and Tavy creek-side woodland at Warleigh carries ash, hazel and wild cherry. Coastal ivy on the Sound-facing cliff gardens and the dockyard walls closes the year.
More on beekeeping in City of PlymouthReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
